Sarah Beeny, the celebrated property presenter known for Channel 4’s Property Ladder, reveals how relocating to the peaceful Somerset countryside has positively impacted her mental health, even as she acknowledges the challenging days when “the clouds come.”
In 2018, the 54-year-old moved with her family to a sprawling 220-acre former dairy farm near Bruton. This monumental change became the focus of her show, Sarah Beeny’s New Life In The Country, which debuted in 2020 and documents their rural transformation.
Her resilience was tested in August 2022 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Undergoing rigorous treatment including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and preventative surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, Sarah emerged victorious, receiving the all-clear in April 2023. Despite this, she admits to experiencing fluctuations in her mood but reframes cancer as a chapter of her life rather than its defining feature.
READ MORE: Beloved Mum and Nan Remembered in This Week’s Somerset Funeral Notices
READ MORE: M5 Southbound Closed in Somerset Following Serious BMW Collision
Reflecting in a recent interview with The Mirror, Sarah shared, “I was lucky. I was fortunate to get diagnosed in time and my treatment was successful. I have a whole life to live now. It feels like a lifetime ago now.” Having lost her mother to breast cancer when she was just ten, Sarah has become a powerful advocate for awareness and early detection.
Her husband, Graham Swift, humorously comments on her coping style, likening it to “picking up the carpet, sweeping everything underneath and putting it back down again” — a metaphor for Sarah’s way of managing stress by staying active and productive. The presenter acknowledges this drive, stating, “Cancer was the big bad wolf to me and now I’ve had it. If you had to sum up the 10 things I’m about, cancer wouldn’t be on the list.”
Known for her busy lifestyle, Sarah admits to being “endlessly dissatisfied,” always seeking new challenges. “It’s my drug. I don’t sit down much,” she says. Her husband reminds her to celebrate her achievements, especially the impact she has had on empowering women in the building industry. Yet she responds, “I need to do something else.”
Despite her relentless energy, the country life offers her solace. “I walk our dogs every day and plant vegetables. The move to the country helped my mental health, no question,” she explains. Nevertheless, Sarah confesses to experiencing emotional lows as she grows older: “I wouldn’t say I ever get depressed, but I have up days and down days. As I’ve got older, the clouds come.”
She also opens up about the emotional struggles she faced postpartum with her eldest son, Billy, recalling, “It was really difficult. I was thinking, ‘What’s wrong with me?’… I was so full of self-doubt. I look back and realise it was baby blues.”
Sarah Beeny remains a beloved figure in property television, with credits including Four Rooms and Help! My House Is Falling Down. She has also hosted the podcast Seriously?! With Sarah Beeny and is currently preparing for her upcoming Channel 4 show, which will follow buyers transforming auction properties into their dream homes.